New procedure helps stress urinary incontinence

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Supporting the urethra with tape helps with the majority of cases of stress urinary incontinence.
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) affects millions of women. It's a condition that leads to urinary leakage when a woman sneezes, coughs or laughs. Although SUI can be helped by bladder training, Kegel exercises and treating underlying problems like chronic cough, these approaches don't work for all women.

At Baylor Waxahachie, they are offering a new surgical procedure called tension-free transvaginal tape for SUI. This involves supporting the middle of the urethra - the area most under stress from SUI - with a strip of mesh tape. The tension-free transvaginal tape procedure is minimally invasive and requires just an overnight stay. It is successful in relieving SUI in 90 per cent of women and 85 per cent are still continent after eight years.

Source
Baylor Health Care System 3rd August 2006

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